'Top Gun Maverick:' Tom Cruise Was Originally Not Interested In Making Sequel

"Top Gun: Maverick" is one of the most iconic film releases so far this year. The film, which is the sequel to the 1986 original "Top Gun," has received massive applause from viewers and critics since its first premiere and is doing very well at the box office.

However, according to the film's director, Joseph Kosinski, the film almost didn't happen. He revealed that main star Tom cruise wasn't interested in making a 'Top Gun' sequel initially, so he had to convince him. Read on to find out how it played out.

During a call interview with Polygon, Kosinski spoke about how his ideas for "Top Gun: Maverick" came up and how he had to fly to Paris to convince Cruise to star in the film. He explained that when he met Cruise, he realized the famous actor "really didn't want to" make a sequel to the iconic action film.

Kosinski said, "So I read the script, I had some ideas, and Jerry [Bruckheimer] liked those ideas. He said, 'You know what, you gotta go pitch this to Tom directly.' We flew to Paris, where Tom was shooting Mission: Impossible, we got about a half-hour of his time between setups."

"And I basically had 30 minutes to pitch this film, which I didn't realize when we were flying over. But when I got there, I found that Tom really didn't want to make another Top Gun," he continued, "It's one of those moments as a director, you have one on every film, where you're on the spot to make a case for why this movie should be made. I had 30 minutes to do it."

When asked how he pitched the film to Cruise, Kosinski said he used character and emotion to appeal to the "Mission Impossible" actor. He said, "I just pitched this idea of Bradley Bradshaw growing up to become a naval aviator, and him and Maverick having this fractured relationship that had never been repaired. With Maverick getting called back to train this group of students to go on a mission that he knows is very, very dangerous."

He continued, "I think that was honestly the element that really grabbed Tom because it gave him an emotional reason to return to this character. The second thing was, what's Maverick been doing? You know, where do we find him?... So the idea of finding him as a test pilot on the bleeding edge of what's possible seemed to me like the perfect way to find him, and Tom loved that.

And according to the director, once he was done with his pitch, Cruise immediately picked up the phone, called the head of Paramount Pictures, and told them, "We're making another Top Gun." Kosinski said he was very impressed to see the power and influence of a real movie star through that small moment.

During the call, the "Oblivion" director also revealed why he chose to title the film "Top Gun: Maverick" rather than use the normal sequel titling. He said, "I just had the title, you know, which I think kind of summed it all up. We aren't going to call it 'Top Gun 2,' we're going to call it 'Top Gun: Maverick.'"

He explained that he chose to go with that title because the sequel is a "character-driven story, a drama with this giant action film around it. And that to me was what a Top Gun movie is." 

The movie primarily focuses on Cruise's character, Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, so it was only right that the title reflects that. Regardless of the movie's title, film critics have stated that it is still a sequel following the first film's events and characters.

"Top Gun: Maverick" premiered on May 27th, and during its first three days in theatres in North America, it brought in ticket sales of an estimated $124 million. Paramount Pictures recently announced the sales figure and also revealed that its current total, including international showings, is $248 million.

There has been a lot of anticipation for the film, especially in the weeks before its release. There were fighter jets at the San Diego premiere, which was held on an aircraft carrier, and at the Cannes Film Festival, Cruise received a standing ovation for his performance and was also awarded an honorary Palme d'Or.

At the film's premiere in London, Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton, attended the showing. During the red carpet portion of the events, Cruise escorted the Duchess of Cambridge up the stairs as the Duke adjusted his jacket and tie. He also introduced the royal couple to his co-stars, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, and Jon Hamm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giXco2jaZ_4